Smallville Redux
by Chrisdz
Summary: We all know what happens in the show. This however is my take with twists and turns abound. A small change in effect creates a ripple that slightly changes the course of destiny.
1. Chapter 1

Smallville: Redux

Chapter 1: Restart

AN: Hello all and welcome to yet another Chrisdz fanfiction. I recently found myself watching Smallville once more and decided that I'd like to revisit the show. As such I soon found myself writing this little tidbit here. This will be my take on the series going from the beginning to the end and maybe even beyond, who knows. However keep in mind that this will be a more realistic retelling and some instances will not be for kids. That said let's get started.

Start Now:

A dark sky overlooked the city of Metropolis and what little light that could be seen from the nearly completely hidden moon silhouetted upon the roof of the Daily Planet. The clouds themselves were dark and rain came pelting down on the two figures that stood upon the roof. One of the figures was a man of average clad in black pants and an open black leather coat displaying a dark red shirt beneath as well as a pair of military dog tags. He was thin and clean shaven with short black hair and eyes. His name is Zod, former Major of the Kryptonian Army.

The other figure was also male and stood at the height of 6'3" with broad shoulders and a muscular appearance. He dark brown nearly black hair that was slightly wavy and wore a black trench coat, black jeans which hid the length of the black boots he wore and a high collar black short sleeved t-shirt the chest of which was engraved with a symbol quite similar to the letter 'S' in grey and surrounded by an oddly shaped pentagon. His name is Clark Kent, otherwise known as 'The Blur' and to a select few Kal-El the last son of the House of El.

The two stood unminding of the rain that fell on them instead focused on each other. In truth both of them had known that the time would come when they would face off. Sure they had initially tried to get along however their points of view differed and soon tension had built between the two. In the beginning Zod had led an army known as the Kandorians, however his own deeds including the murder of his consort Faora and his unborn child had the Kandorians turning against him and his plans. They had instead chosen to give their allegiance to Clark who had determined that he would join them on New Krypton. However just as they had begun leaving Zod had made his move drawing a glowing blue dagger and since Clark had yet to step into the golden light that would take him with them saw this which led them to their current stare down.

"Blue Kryptonite." Said Clark in recognition eyeing the blade.

"I told you I wasn't going anywhere." Said Zod in return.

Super speeding over to him Clark moved to slam Zod into and through the gates behind him only to stop short as Zod swung the dagger down at him. Dodging it he parried the hand and instead seized Zod by the color of his jacket.

"You knew blue kryptonite would prevent you from ascending like the others." Said Clark with narrowed eyes.

"It's better to rule in Hell then it is to serve in Heaven." Claimed Zod

As he said this he shoved Clark off of him swinging the dagger once more only with Clark leaning back to dodge yet still getting a horizontal cut across the chest for his trouble. As he staggered back Zod swung again cutting Clark across the arms as he brought them up to guard himself. Recovering quickly however Clark ripped off his coat leaving him in the t-shirt while he wrapped the coat around his arms.

"Seeing as you love the humans so much let's see you fight like one."

As Zod said this he charged forward with Clark dodging the swing and wrapping the dagger in his coat. It was a contest of strength as the two fought against each other with a hole soon ripping through the jacket allowing the dagger to poke through. Finally Clark overpowered Zod slamming him to the ground on his back. As the two scrambled to gain control of the fight Zod managed to knee Clark in the face knocking him off and to the side. As the two scrambled away from each other Zod grabbed hold of a small metal box which he used to hit the recovering Clark in the face. As he staggered back Zod moved to slam him into a wall only for Clark to break free and land a powerful uppercut to his chin that sent Zod flying several feet in the air before landing hard on his back.

Moving quickly Zod recovered the dagger to his feet before jumping back to his feet. Once again the two charged each other with Zod dodging Clark's punch and slashing him vertically down the right side of his chest with the dagger before moving quickly and kicking him so hard that he flew and crashed through a window. As Clark hit the ground Zod came through leaping off the ledge aiming to drive the dagger through Clark's head only for him to roll to the side. Hopping back to his feet Clark was just in time to catch Zod's wrists as he thrust the dagger towards his gut once again causing a power struggle.

"Unlike you I will lead from a throne not from the shadows. Every human including those you love will kneel before Zod."

As the man said this he pushed harder trying to force Clark back. Holding his ground Clark glanced behind him finding nothing but empty air at his back.

"You've already destroyed my first home; I won't let you take this one."

As he said this Clark surprised Zod by letting his arms go slack allowing Zod to force the dagger into his flesh. Seeing this Zod smirked and watched on as Clark toppled back falling over the roof's edge. Despite this the Smallville raised hero smirked causing Zod's to be wiped from his face to be replaced with a frown as golden light suddenly surrounded him before he was pulled upwards screaming his denial. Clark himself fell towards the ground with his arms spread out like a fallen angel and simply closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>He shot up with a gasp his blue eyes wide as he went about patting himself down. Finding no wound on his person his eyes began scanning his surroundings wildly only to be greeted with the rather familiar and safe surroundings that was his bedroom. Pulling away the covers that protected him in the night he placed his feet to the ground and leaned over as he tried to steady his breathing. As his breathing came under his control and his body stopped shaking he slowly went about placing on a pair of shoes before moving off the bed and out of the room. The rays of the morning sun hit him as soon as he stepped out of the house and for a moment he just stood there bathing himself in the suns light.<p>

Finally however his body began moving and he soon came to his destination, the one place on the entire farm his parents had forbidden him from stepping foot, the storm cellar. Reaching down he grabbed hold of the handle and after a few moments managed to push aside his anxiety and pulled it open. As he descended the steps he initially found that the place looked like more of a storage center as he had always expected. However it was as he reached the center that he found himself coming across something he had known would be there yet at the same time hoped not to see. What sat there was a metal egg shaped pod encased within an odd pentagon.

"Clark!" came a shout intruding on his thoughts.

Turning towards the voice he was greeted to the sight of his adoptive parents as they came down the steps. In the lead was his father Jonathan Kent who the shout had come from; he stood at nearly 6'4" and had dark blond hair and sky blue eyes and wore a pair of blue jeans, and a plaid multi-colored shirt that he wore open that had a low collar and a white shirt beneath that. Just behind him was his mother Martha Kent who was only 5'9 she also wore a pair of blue jeans and a solid black turtleneck shirt.

"You know I hoped for a moment that this wouldn't be here." Said Clark as the two approached him.

"What are you doing down here, son?" questioned Jonathan.

"I had the strangest, most detailed dream of my life." Answered Clark.

Forty-five minutes later found the small family gathered around the kitchen counter talking at length about the dream that Clark had experienced. And while Clark couldn't clearly remember everything from the dream that seemed to have eclipsed years of his life he had remembered important pieces. His birth name is Kal-El, he was born on another planet and sent to earth because the planet had exploded, Jonathan had died, Lana, Chloe, and Pete all knew his secret as did several others and had not only kept it but embraced him. He had met others from said planet as well, he had a cousin Kara, who at the moment was trapped somewhere in a type of suspended animation. For Jonathan and Martha it was a lot to take in, and as their son spoke they realized it was a lot for him as well.

"I want to tell Pete and Chloe." Said Clark suddenly catching the attention of both of his parents.

"Before you say anything here me out. I've known Pete my whole life if there's anyone who I can tell and deserves to know it's him. As for Chloe I've known her for years too and despite the fact that that her journalistic instincts seems to control her at times I know she'll be able to keep this secret. In fact I think she'd actually be able to help me out a bit." Said Clark defending his case.

"Ok son let's step back for a minute. Let's assume that your right and the dream you had was prophetic, are you sure you're willing to burden the two of them with this?" Questioned Jonathan.

"I can't hide forever dad. Sooner or later people are going to learn about me and if that's the case I at least want to be the one to tell my best friends. More than that mom always said that relationships are built on trust and if I can't trust the people I say are my best friends enough to show them the real me then what kind of relationship will that lead to? Besides if the dream was right then things are going to start picking up for me soon so I'll need the help." retorted Clark causing the man to sigh.

"Clark why don't you give us some more time to think about this, besides if you don't hurry you'll miss your bus." Said Martha.

Wide eyed and looking at the time Clark vanished in a blur appearing again seemingly only moments later and out the front door just in time to see the bus leaving. Narrowing his eyes he took off running again cutting through the fields. Back inside the house Jonathan held his head as he tried to come to terms with all of the information they had just heard.

"I don't know about this Martha; this could all just be a dream, like he said." Said Jonathan.

"True but he's right about one thing; we can't keep him to ourselves forever. Besides we've denied him more than anyone should have to be denied during their childhood." Said Martha.

"How about we wait? If he comes back boasting invulnerability anytime soon then we can go that route." Said Jonathan getting an agreement from his wife.

* * *

><p>"So anyone ask you to the dance?" questioned Pete Ross as he made his way up the steps on the outside of Smallville High alongside Chloe Sullivan.<p>

Pete was an African American male that stood at 5'9 and had short cut black hair in a wavy style. He wore dark blue jeans with a deep blue nearly purple shirt that was buttoned up nearly to the top. Over this he wore a red and black jacket with his backpack secured with only a single strap. Chloe however was a girl with creamy white skin and short cut blond hair to go with her bluish-green eyes. She wore a pair of black pants with an orange top and an open red jacket with fur lining the collar. Her bag of choice was more like a laptop storage bag with a leopard style print to its cover.

"Not yet." Said Chloe

"Well if nothing pans out with you know who maybe…" started Pete only to be interrupted.

"Pete do you wanna take a commercial break from the soap opera in your head. I've told you a hundred times I'm not interested in Clark." Said Chloe turning to face him before continuing her walk her words causing Pete to smile.

"Your vehement denial has been duly noted." Said Pete moving to catch up with her.

"Hey maybe you and I can go together. I mean not as a date thing, more of a friend thing." Said Pete as he caught up with her.

"Hi, guys." Said Clark as he walked up behind them carrying his books in hand.

"Didn't you just…I mean weren't you…" stuttered out Chloe.

"I took a shortcut." Said Clark cutting her off.

"Through what a black hole?" questioned Chloe

"Clark you'll have to excuse intrepid our reporter. Seems as though her 'weirdar' is on Defcon 5." Said Pete as he walked around to Clarks other side.

"She thought the bus was being attacked." Continued Pete before Chloe rushed in front of them.

"Ok just because everyone else chooses to ignore the strange things that happen in this leafy little hamlet doesn't mean that they don't happen." Said Chloe

"You know we'd love to join you and Scooby inside the mystery machine for another zany adventure but we need to hand in these permission slips before homeroom." Said Pete.

"Actually Pete I'm not turning one in." said Clark surprising Pete.

"C'mon Clark you know this is the only way." Said Pete placing his hand on the taller teens shoulder.

"Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me you're trying out for the football team? What is this, some sort of teen suicide pact?" questioned Chloe with a grin only for Pete to grab her an pull her to the side.

"We're trying to avoid becoming this year's scarecrow." Said Pete quietly.

"What are you talking about and why are we whispering?" questioned Chloe.

"It's a homecoming tradition. Every year before the big game, the football players pick a freshman, take him out to Riley Field, strip him down to his boxers and then paint an 'S' on his chest." Explained Pete.

"String him up like a scarecrow." Said Clark.

"Sounds like years of therapy waiting to happen." Said Chloe.

"That's why I'm trying to get him to come with me and try out for the team. I'm thinking they won't chose one of their own." Said Pete.

"Still Pete that's your thing not mine, I have more important things to worry about right now. Besides I actually think you'll do better on the basketball court." Said Clark before saying his goodbyes.

"Give him ten seconds." Said Pete holding out a five dollar bill.

"Five." said Chloe both watching as Clark walked off.

Clark for his part was paying particular attention to one of the students he was nearing. She wore a pair of beige pants and a very light blue blouse she stood at 5'5" and had a slender frame with dark brown hair and green eyes. Her name is Lana Lang and for as long as he could remember Clark had held a crush on her, yet could never get near her without falling all over himself. Now however he wasn't so much focused on her and instead focused on the object around her neck which was a green necklace. His eyes focused solely on the necklace he watched it begin to glow as he neared her and mentally preparing himself continued forward. Immediately as got within a few feet of her a sense of weakness hit him, but ignoring it as best he could he pushed forwards and was soon hit by a feeling of pain. Gritting his teeth he ignored it and walked past her climbing steadily up the stairs using the handrail as support and entering the school.

"Damn, no fall." Said Pete in shock.

"I don't get it; normally he couldn't get within five feet of her without turning into a total freak show." Said Chloe also shocked.

'_That settles it that dream was definitely not a normal dream_.' Thought Clark as he held himself up against the inner doorway of the school panting slightly.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in Smallville another young man pulled up to a factory owned by Luther Corp. As he hopped out of his sky blue Porsche he revealed himself to be 5'10 with blue eyes and a bald head. He was dressed in a business casual style with black pants and a black top left open to reveal the dull grey shirt beneath it.<p>

"Thanks, dad." Said the young man before walking into the factory.

* * *

><p>Hours had passed in the school and Clark found himself standing on a bridge looking down on the water. For a while he had remained after school sitting within the bleachers overlooking the football field. Unlike many others however his focus had not been on the team tryouts or even the practicing cheerleaders. Instead his focus had been downwards as he wrote down clues or drawings for all the things he could remember from the 'vision', as he was now calling it. He was being purposely vague so that just in case the book was lost no one would be able to figure anything in it out. He knew the first thing he needed to do was find the Key only then would he be able to open the ship and figure out what the hell was going on with him. He also wanted to find Kara but he couldn't as he had no idea how exactly she came into his life. Eventually he'd left the school and wandered to this place his mind still occupied by the thoughts that had plagued him all day.<p>

At the same time the young man from the factory was driving down the towards the bridge when his phone rung. Glancing down to read the text he glanced up just in time to see an obstruction within the road and quickly tried to dodge the object. Unfortunately he was unable to do so and rolled over it the tires popping as he lost control and the car veered to the side. Clark hearing the sound snapped out of his thoughts and quickly turned only to be struck by the car sending them both into the water. Recovering despite the hit he moved over to the car and seeing the windshield with a hole in it ignored his first instinct and instead grabbed a stone from under the water before proceeding to further smash the window enough to pull him out through it. Not long later and he was placing the guy down on the dry ground quickly performing the CPR he'd learned earlier in the year.

"Come on, don't die on me!" muttered the fifteen year old pumping on his chest several times before the guy spewed the water out of his lungs.

"I could've sworn I hit you." Said the young man breathing heavily.

"If you did, I'd be, I'd be dead" stated Clark his eyes wide as he turned to the ruined portion of the bridge.

Nearly fifteen minutes later found Jonathan Kent running to the sight of the accident where his son was sitting on the base of a hill. As he called out for him Clark looked up while his father ran over towards him looking him over.

"Son, you all right?" questioned Jonathan his voice heavy with emotion.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Said Clark.

"Who's the maniac driving the car?" demanded the head of the Kent house as he turned to the officer standing nearby.

"That would be me. Lex Luther." Said the young man extending his hand only for Jonathan to ignore it, instead removing his coat and wrapping it around Clark's shoulders.

"I'm Jonathan Kent; this is my son." Said Jonathan.

"Thanks for saving my life." Said Lex.

"I'm sure you'd have done the same thing." Said Clark.

"You have quite an extraordinary boy there Mr. Kent. If there's any way that I can repay you…" started Lex only to be interrupted as the man turned to face him.

"Drive slower." Said Jonathan before turning and resuming his walk up the hill with Clark.

"Clark are you alright!" exclaimed Martha as she ran to her son to look him over.

"I'm fine mom." Said Clark.

"Thank God you're not hurt." Said Martha releasing the breath she was holding.

"That's just it mom. That car hit me going sixty miles an hour and I just got up and shrugged it off. That's not all though, I purposely walked by Lana earlier and the necklace she wore began glowing as soon as I approached. I lost all my strength and then the closer I got I started feeling pain; the only reason I didn't keel over is because I had braced myself for it." Explained Clark.

"So you discovered both invulnerability and a weakness to the meteor rocks today." Said Martha moving her eyes to her husband.

"Mom that's too many coincidences for me, first the ship exactly where I knew it would be looking exactly as I pictured it, invulnerability kicks in, and the meteor rock weakness." Said Clark running his hands through his hair.

"Alright so maybe it was more than a dream after all. But that doesn't mean we still don't need to be careful, especially now that a Luther moved into town." Said Jonathan.

"No doubt; still I'll need those two especially Chloe in the future and it'll be best to go to them now. In the dream Pete and I nearly lost our friendship because I waited a year to tell him and only then because I didn't have a choice. If I keep playing things your way I risk driving them away and if that's what I end up doing I may as well move out to some uninhabitable place since the end result would be the same." Said Clark

* * *

><p>That night Clark could be found on an upper level balcony built within the barn that Jonathan had built just for him. In truth the 15 year old spent more time within the loft than he did within the actual house and thus it had been dubbed as his 'Fortress of Solitude.' To understand why that was however one need only look inside as the place was stocked with a couch, a desk, a hammock, bookcases, and a telescope. All in all it had everything needed to create a perfect place of relaxation for the teen. At the moment however he was standing at the telescope his gaze focused out beyond the full moon and into the stars behind it. Curiosity getting the best of him he moved it so that it focused not into the stars but onto the very earth upon which he lived setting his sights on the home of his closest neighbor, who lived at least a mile and a half away, Lana Lang.<p>

He was just in time to see her come out of the house to sit on a bench. Unfortunately he was also able to see as her boyfriend snuck up and wrapped her in a hug. He was fairly tall and had short blond hair and blue eyes and as always wore blue jeans, white t-shirt, and red and yellow letterman's jacket. He was the current star quarterback of Smallville High's football team, and in his senior year had everyone talking about his prospects of going pro.

"Hey." Whispered the jock as he wrapped her up putting a smile on her face.

"Whitney my aunt will be back any minute." Said Lana still smiling.

"Oh, come on! We're living on the edge." Said Whitney.

"Well if Nell finds us out here, your life won't be worth living." Said Lana

"Where is she anyway, bridge club?" questioned Whitney.

"Lex Luthor's." corrected Lana

"I didn't know your aunt was in with the Luthor's." said the quarterback.

"She sold them a ton of land." Said Lana reminding him of her aunt's profession.

"They own the Metropolis Sharks. She could put in a good word for me." Said the jock with a smile.

"If you want someone to put in a good word, ask Clark. He saved Lex's life today." Said Lana

"You're kidding."

"Sometimes people can surprise you. I think it's kind of cool."

Though he couldn't understand what they were saying yet and still Clark scowled and tapped the end of the telescope sending it pointing upwards as he went to lay on the couch.

* * *

><p>Within an auto repair shop that was blaring out rock music within the shop a rather young looking mechanic had just put the finishing touches on a truck and smiled as it started up perfectly. Moving around to the front of the truck the man made quick work of bringing the hood down and as he glanced to the side bodily jumped back upon spotting a shadowed figure.<p>

"Damn, kid! You scared the crap out of me." Said the mechanic removing a rag from his shoulder to wipe his hands as he moved closer to the figure.

"Don't I know you?" questioned the man as he was able to make out the face of his visitor and moved closer.

"You look like that scarecrow kid. Where the hell you been?" questioned the mechanic.

As he finally cleared the distance he could see that the other young man had a rather strange smile on his face. Seeing this and hearing a lack of answers coming from him put a scowl on the face of the mechanic.

"Hey, Freakazoid, wake up."

Saying this he placed a hand on him as if to shake him slightly. However as soon as he did arcs of lightning-like energy blasted out from the silent one's body. For a moment the mechanic was locked in place as his body was rocked with electricity before he was thrown away. Landing on his back he groaned and turned to find the silent one walking up on him.

"That was 12 years ago man; that was just a game. What do you want?" said the mechanic.

"To play."

After saying this he reached down and grabbed hold of the mechanic immediately causing the energy to be blasted into the man who screamed once more. At the same time he picked him up displaying some rather impressive strength before slamming him into a wall. As he hit the wall a single picture fell to the ground with the glass shattering. Within that picture was a younger version of the man along with two others all of them wearing Smallville High football gear.

* * *

><p>The next morning as he walked up the driveway Clark was surprised upon finding a 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup truck within his driveway. Moving around it and spotting the bow on the hood he quickly found his mother occupying herself with their farm's tractor.<p>

"Hey mom, who's truck?" questioned the teen.

"Yours. It's a gift from Lex Luthor."

As Martha said this she reached up and pulled out an enveloped card from the left pocket of her coat which she handed over to her son. Even as she did this Clark didn't miss the vexed look on her face and instead simply opted to ignore it. Opening it quickly with a smile on his face the youngest Kent decided to read it aloud.

"Dear Clark: Drive safely. Always in your debt…the maniac in the Porsche." Read Clark in surprise.

"I don't believe it. Where are the keys?"

"Your father has them." As soon as he heard this, a dark cloud settled over Clark's mind, yet he still went to see his father.

He found him rather easily as the sound of the wood chipper busy loading in a small chunk as he had apparently been at it for some time. Jonathan spotted the teen coming almost ten feet away and as such went about powering down the machinery before removing the goggles and ear muffs he'd been wearing hanging the muffs on the chipper.

"I know how much you want it son, but you can't keep it." Said Jonathan before Clark could even move to speak.

"Why not? I did save the guy's life." Said Clark in response.

"So you think you deserve a prize." Shot back Jonathan as he moved off to place some things on a work shelf.

"That's not what I meant." Said Clark chasing after him causing Jonathan to smirk as he shook his head.

"Look how about you drive it, and I'll use the old one. That way everybody wins." Said Clark.

"It's not about winning, Clark." Said Jonathan stalking off once more with Clark in pursuit.

"It's not like the Luthor's can't afford it." Said Clark causing Jonathan to sigh.

"Do you want to know why that is?" said Jonathan bringing Clark up short.

"Do you remember Mr. Bell. We use to go fishing on his property. How about Mr. Guy? He used to send us pumpkins every Halloween. Well Lionel Luthor promised to cut them in on a deal. He sent them flashy gifts." Said Jonathan fishing out the new keys for show.

"The thing is only once they sold him their property he went back on his word. He had them evicted son." Finished Jonathan.

"So you're judging Lex on what his father did?"

"No, Clark, I'm not. I just want to make sure that you know where the money came from that bought that truck." Said Jonathan turning away once again with Clark heading up the steps to the loft causing him to stop short.

"Clark, I know you're upset son, but it's normal." Said Jonathan causing Clark to through his things down on the steps.

"In case you forgot dad, I'm not normal or do I need to throw my arm into the wood chipper to prove it. I can run faster than most cars can move, I can lift the tractor one handed and survive falling off a bridge after getting hit by a car going 60 miles per hour. Does that sound normal to you? I'd give anything to be normal." Said Clark moving up the steps to the loft.

Seeing this Jonathan sighed and after a shared look with his wife nodded before heading up the steps finding the teen sitting on the couch. Pulling the desk chair back the farmer ran a hand through his hair before speaking.

"Son I know things haven't been easy around here for you. Until this point your mom and I have kept you sheltered here in order to protect you. Still you were right last night and we've got to slacken up and let you live your life. As such we've decided that if you want to tell Pete and Chloe you can." Said Jonathan causing Clark to look up with wide eyes quickly speaking again when he saw his mouth opening to speak.

"However that's under two conditions. First and foremost you have to make them swear to never tell anyone what they learn about you. Secondly you have to tell them here, where we can be sure no one is listening in on your conversation." Said Jonathan.

* * *

><p>That night as she rode through the woods and into the plot of land that acted as a small cemetery Lana Lang climbed down from her horse collecting a small bouquet of flowers from a side compartment and moved to walk through the line of graves. This was a weekly ritual for her as it was the time she chose to visit the graves of her parents and tell them about the goings on of her life. She'd only been a little girl at the time, when the first meteor shower struck and one of the large rocks fell and struck her parents car just as they had climbed out. She had been visiting with her aunt Nell at the time, who after that tragic incident had adopted her. It was the sound of breaking wood however that stopped her causing her to jump slightly in fright and look around for the source.<p>

"Who's there?" questioned the girl.

"It's me, Clark."

As he said this Clark emerged from out of the darkness having been leaning against the trunk of a tree.

"Clark Kent? What are you doing creeping around the woods?" questioned Lana.

As she walked up to him closing the distance she could see a strange look overcasting his features. While his facial features hid it his eyes displayed a turmoil that quite honestly saddened her.

"You'd never believe me if I told you. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Returned Clark before turning to leave.

"Clark, wait." Called Lana quickly closing the remaining distance.

"I just wasn't expecting to see anyone out here. Are you okay?" Explained Lana before asking the question that was on her mind.

"I'm hanging out in a graveyard. Does that strike you as okay behavior?" retorted Clark.

"Hey, I'm here too." Reminded Lana.

"Good point. What's your story?" Questioned Clark trying to turn the subject away from himself.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"I'm the Fort Knox of secrets." Returned Clark reflecting upon his life until that point.

"I…came out here to talk with my parents. You must think I'm pretty weird; you know, conversing with dead people." Admitted Lana.

"No, I don't think your weird, Lana. Do you remember them?"

"They died when I was three."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Clark. Come on, I'll introduce you." Said Lana grabbing his hand and leading him over to the graves.

"Mom, Dad. This is Clark Kent." Said Lana speaking to the tombstone with the names of both her parents Lewis and Laura Lang enscribed upon it.

"Yeah, he is kind of shy." Said Lana crouching down

"How should I know?" questioned Lana

Mom wants to know if your upset about a girl." Said Lana only for Clark to shake his head.

"Dad wants to know if your upset about a guy." Said Lana.

"No, no." refuted Clark quickly causing Lana to chuckle briefly.

"He has a twisted sense of humor." Explained Lana with a smile that was a bit infectious actually putting a small one on Clark's face.

"Seriously, Clark. Why are you out here?" questioned Lana

"Lana you ever feel like your life was supposed to be something different?" questioned Clark

"Sometimes I dream I'm at school, waiting for Nell to pick me up. But she doesn't come; instead my parents drive up and they're not dead, they're just really late. I get in their car and we drive back to my real life in Metropolis. That's usually when I wake up. For a minute, I'm totally happy. Until I realize I'm still alone." Explained Lana frowning quite heavily.

As she said this Clark frowned not liking the look on her face. Glancing at the tombstone he thought quickly before he came up with something.

"What's that, Mrs. Lang? Yeah, I'll tell her." Said Clark turning to Lana who was also looking at him.

"Your mom wants you to know you're never alone. That she's always looking over you. No matter what." Said Clark putting a smile back on the girls face.

"What's that Mr. Lang?" said Clark before speaking up again quickly.

"Your dad thinks you're a shoe in for homecoming queen." He said causing Lana to nearly laugh.

"They really say all that?" questioned Lana.

"Oh yeah; they're quite chatty once you get them started."

"Thanks for walking me home" said Lana as the two walked away from the stables in which Lana's horse was kept.

"It beats creeping around the woods." Said Clark causing Lana to chuckle.

"Do you realize this is the longest conversation we've ever had?" questioned Lana

"We should do it again." She finished.

"Yeah, we should." Returned Clark with a smile.

"So are you going to the dance?" questioned Clark.

"Yeah, with Whitney"

"Right, of course."

"How about you?" questioned Lana.

"Well I was thinking about going with a friend of mine. But one of my other friends has a bit of a crush on her. I think I'll sit this one out." Said Clark

"I see, that's kind of cool. But if you change your mind; I might save you a dance." Said Lana before moving up and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Good night, Clark." Said the girl before smiling as the two parted ways.

Unknown to either of them at that moment, Whitney stepped out of the shadows having seen the whole thing.

* * *

><p>The next morning found Clark walking the halls of the Luthor mansion. The mansion itself was located on the outskirts of Smallville within a heavily wooded area and was in all actuality a castle. Of course Clark had heard stories of the place but it had been mostly abandoned since no one had actually lived in it. It was rumored that Lionel Luthor had only bought the land so that he had a place to stay whenever he decided to visit the plant in Smallville. Whatever the case while he found the place was huge Clark thought it was all wasted on just one person.<p>

"Hello." Called the Kent boy as he walked through the halls.

"Hello?" he repeated

He was answered as he turned into a room and was greeted by a pair of white garbed figures and the sound of clashing steel as the two fenced their way through the room. Surprised Clark stopped at the door and watched the two go at it until finally one of the figures found themselves pinned to the wall. As the figure was released they angrily tossed the weapon sending it embedding tip first into the wall about a foot away from Clark's face. Surprised at the sight the figure reached up to reveal the face of Lex Luthor.

"Clark?" questioned Lex in surprise.

"I didn't see you." Said Lex walking over to the teen.

"I, uh buzzed, but no one answered." Said Clark a bit surprised himself as Lex reached up and snatched the sword from the wall.

"How'd you get through the gate?" questioned Lex.

"I kinda squeezed through the bars, if this is a bad time..." Said Clark.

"No, I think Heiki has sufficiently kicked my ass for the day." Said Lex as he walked over and tossed his helmet to the young blonde woman he'd been sparring against.

"This is a great place." Said Clark.

"Yeah, if your dead and in the market for something to haunt." Said Lex with a grin as he moved out into the hall.

"I meant its roomy." Said Clark following after him.

"It's the Luthor ancestral home or so my father claims. He had it shipped over from Scotland stone by stone." Said Lex.

"Yeah I remember the trucks rolled through town for weeks but no one ever moved in."

At this Lex actually stopped on his way up the stairs and turned to face Clark absently removing the fencing gloves from his hands.

"My father had no intention of living here. He's never even stepped through the front door." Said Lex.

"Then why ship it over?" Questioned Clark.

"Because he could." Answered Lex before resuming his walk up the stairs.

Eventually they found their way into an office like room complete with a fireplace, a pool table and even exercise equipment.

"How's the new ride?" questioned Lex.

"That's why I'm here." Said Clark.

"What's the matter? You don't like it?" questioned Lex as he moved over to a glass table and moved to open a bottle of water.

"No, it's not that. I can't keep it." Said Clark causing Lex to place the bottle down.

"Clark, you saved my life. I think it's the least I can do." Said Lex causing Clark to lower his head.

"Your father doesn't like me, does he?" Questioned Lex though he continued before Clark could speak.

"It's okay I've been bald since I was nine." Said Lex running a hand over his head.

"I'm used to people judging me before they get to know me." Finished Lex looking within a mirror.

"It's not personal. He's just not crazy about your dad." Explained Clark.

"Figures the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Understandable." Said Lex

"What about you Clark? Did you fall far from the tree?" questioned Lex, a question that Clark honestly couldn't answer.

"I better go. Thanks for the truck." Said Clark handing Lex the keys before heading towards the door.

"Clark." Called Lex

"Do you believe a man can fly?" questioned Lex.

"Sure, in a plane." Answered the teen.

"No, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about soaring through the clouds with nothing but air beneath you." Clarified Lex his face softening.

"People can't fly Lex." Said Clark.

"I did. After the accident, when my heart stopped. It was the most…exhilarating two minutes of my life. I flew over Smallville. And for the first time I didn't see a dead end; I saw a new beginning. Thanks to you I have a second chance. We have a future Clark, and I don't want anything to stand in the way of our friendship."

* * *

><p>Elsewhere a crowd had gathered around the entrance of a store barricaded by the sheriff's department watching as a young man was wheeled out upon a stretcher by a team of medics. From within the crowd Chloe and Pete watched the scene as well, with the former recording it on a digital video camera.<p>

"That's the third guy this week." Said Pete.

"And they're all former jocks." Said Chloe

Across from them Pete noticed another young man who stood out only due to the rather strange look upon his face. He wore a grey sweatshirt with the top half unzipped exposing the blue denim button down shirt beneath it, which only had a single button at the top undone. His hair was a dark brown, combed back neatly and his eyes were narrowed.

"Who's the weirdo?" questioned Pete tapping Chloe on the shoulder and motioning with his head.

"I don't know. Let's check him out." Said Chloe before snapping a quick pick of him

"His name's Jeremy Creek. This is a picture of him 12 years ago." Said Chloe as she pointed to a black and white year book picture.

"This however as the one I took four hours ago." Said Chloe pulling up the picture she'd taken outside of the store a bit earlier.

"That's impossible." Said Clark.

He'd ran into them while on his way through town and seeing as he needed to talk to the both of them figured he'd stick around and see what they were up to. Now he found himself within a classroom within the high school after the duo had explained the situation to him.

"He'd be like 26 today. It must be a kid that looks like him." finished the farm boy.

"My money was on the evil twin theory until we checked the missing persons." Said Pete.

"Jeremy disappeared from the state infirmary a few days ago where he'd been in a coma for 12 years. They say he suffered from massive electrolyte imbalance." Said Chloe handing over a piece of paper for Clark to see.

"That's why he hasn't aged a day." Said Pete.

"So your telling me he just woke up." Said Clark raising an eyebrow.

"No there was a huge electrical storm and the hospital's generator went down and when it came back on Jeremy was gone." Explained Chloe.

"Electricity must have charged him up like a Duracell." Said Pete.

"And now he's back in Smallville, putting former jocks into comas. Why?" mused Clark trying to put the pieces all together.

"Because 12 years ago today, they chose Jeremy Creek as the scarecrow." Said Pete trailing off at the end.

"Comatose boy found in field 20 yards from meteor strike." Said Clark reading the headline of a newspaper article.

"The explosion from the blast must have done something to his body." Said Chloe standing from her seat.

"No, this can't be right." Said Clark

"I think you ought to show him." said Pete tapping Clarks arm.

"Show me what?"

It didn't take long for Clark to find out. The three soon found themselves within the office of the school's newspaper, the Smallville Torch often shortened to simply The Torch. More specifically they were in the darkroom which appeared more like closet space that had been cleaned out. However what caught Clark's attention was the collage of newspaper and magazine articles covering the right wall.

"It started out as a scrapbook and just kind of mutated." Said Chloe.

"What is it?" questioned Clark

"I call it the Wall of Weird. It's every strange, bizzare, and unexplained event that has happened in Smallville since the meteor shower, that's when it all began. The town went schizo."

Clark wanted to be upset at the sight. In fact his first instinct was to question why she hadn't informed him of the collection sooner. However he instead took a breath, he couldn't rely on a first instinct that was actually due to a fear that had been induced into him by his parents since an early age. Of course he was still upset in that he couldn't help but feel responsible for everything he saw upon that wall. Turning away from the wall he collected himself with Pete and Chloe both watching him curiously.

"There's um, some things I wanted to talk with you guys about. Meet me in the loft after the dance." With that said the farm raised teen left the room quickly.

As he left the school proper Clark soon found a hand gripping his shoulder.

"Chloe not now." Said Clark before he found himself spun around now face to face with Whitney.

"Congratulations, Clark. You're this year's scarecrow." Said Whitney only for Clark to push him off.

"Don't mess with me right now." Said Clark.

"Come on then, bring it on!" said Whitney pushing Clark back and quickly removing his jacket.

Clark didn't need to be told and went to push back only to lose all of his strength as a familiar green stone that Whitney was wearing around his neck came into view. Quickly pushing him to the ground the quarterback grabbed hold of Clark's shirt glaring heatedly.

"What's going on with you and Lana?" questioned the quarterback.

"Nothing."

However his gaze was instead on the stone. Seeing this Whitney ripped it from around his neck and put it around Clark's.

"You like the necklace. Good, because this is as close as you'll ever get to her." Said Whitney.

From around the corner of the school Jeremy Creek watched as a truck pulled up and the jocks that had been with Whitney all worked to quickly toss Clark into the back putting a frown on his face.

* * *

><p>That night found Clark hung up to a post like a scarecrow, stripped down to his boxers with a red 'S' painted on his torso and the glowing green stone hanging around his neck.<p>

"Never changes." Said Jeremy catching the teens attention.

"Help me." Said Clark.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

"You, your Jeremy." Said Clark.

"I thought if I punished them it would stop. But it never stops" said Jeremy before turning to walk away.

"Wait. Where are you going." Called Clark getting Jeremy to stop in his tracks.

"Homecoming dance. I never made it to mine." Said Jeremy.

"Get me down. Please?" said Clark

"You're safer here" said Jeremy before walking away.

As Jeremy left and crawled through a hole in the fence his profile was lit up by the lights of a car. Sticking his head out the window Lex's eyes widened and his mind went back 12 years, the day of the meteor shower when he first came to Smallville seeing the same person hung up as the scarecrow. Climbing out of the car he heard the sound of someone speaking and quickly left to investigate. What he found only a few minutes later was a sight he didn't expect as it was Clark he discovered this time around.

"Who did this to you?" questioned Lex as he went about untying the teen.

"Doesn't matter." Said Clark.

As soon as he was untied he fell to the ground like dead weight. As he pushed up he found that his strength had returned but made a show of stretching out his limbs before quickly grabbing his clothes.

"Clark you need to see a doctor." Said Lex.

"I'm okay. Besides I have other things to attend to." Said Clark before darting through the fields.

"At least let me give you a ride." Called Lex going unanswered however looking down he was greeted by the sight of the abandoned necklace.

* * *

><p>Back at the school Chloe smiled as she was twirled and pulled back to Pete. The two of them had cleaned up nightly with Chloe now wearing a leopard print designed dress with a black shawl around her shoulders while Pete wore a black tux. Lana and Whitney were also in attendance each of them wearing crowns and sashes denoting them as the Homecoming King and Queen. Jeremy cared for none of that however instead his focus was outside, specifically on the sprinkler system. As he opened the door he was halted by a voice.<p>

"Jeremy, you need to stop this." Turning towards the voice he was surprised to see Clark standing there almost hidden completely in darkness.

"I don't know how you got here. But you really should have stayed away." Said Jeremy as he dropped the crowbar he'd been holding and began walking towards him with Clark doing the same.

"I won't just let you hurt my friends." Said Clark

"Those people in there aren't your friends. The sprinklers will get them nice and wet I'll handle the rest." Said Jeremy continuing his slow walk towards Clark.

"They never did anything to you." Said Clark.

"I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for you and for all the others like us." Said Jeremy.

"What happened to you was my fault. I can understand your pain." Said Clark.

"I'm not in pain. I have a gift, and a purpose, a destiny." Said Jeremy as he turned away only to find Clark in front of him.

"So do I." said Clark.

Seeing this Jeremy scowled electricity visibly running across his body as he reached out and grabbed hold of Clark's shoulders. Grunting Clark scowled and grabbing Jeremy easily tossed him away sending him flying at a car only for him to bounce off the hood, crack the windshield with his head and hit the ground. Jeremy however proved himself to be not as fragile as he appeared hopping back to his feet quickly.

"Give it up Jeremy." Said Clark.

The reply to this was Jeremy placing a hand on the hood of the truck with electricity running down his arm causing it to start up. Without the slightest hesitation he quickly hopped behind the wheel; seeing him coming Clark braced himself and as the car hit he caught the hood with enough force that his hands dented it. Yet and still he was still pushed around as his feet hadn't been fully prepared with Jeremy swirving back and forth gaining speed until finally he slammed into and through a wall not seeing the water line. Clark however still maintained his hold and slowly climbed up, seeing this Jeremy tried to get out only to realized that the wall was pinning him in, both Clark and Jeremy realized too late that water was actually shooting into the car however.

As the two realized this the water hit Jeremy's feet, the results of which sent his powers out of control launching Clark away from the truck while Jeremy trapped inside was fried. Quickly climbing to his feet Clark pulled the car a bit further in freeing the door from the wall and pulling it off the hinges allowing the water to all spill out. Seeing Jeremy slumped forward he quickly reached inside pushing him back.

"Are you okay?" questioned Clark.

"Who are you, where am I." said Jeremy in confusion.

"I'm Clark Kent, and you're in Smallville."

"I want to go home."

Meanwhile inside the dance the students unaware of the drama that had unfolded outside continued their dancing. Taking a look inside from the balcony Clark could make out only Lana and Whitney in the center due to the spotlight shining upon them and as they kissed he turned away in disgust, his fist clenched in anger. As he left and walked outside he stopped upon seeing a line of trucks, smirking to himself and seeing no one around he cracked his knuckles. As the students emerged after the dance they were all greeted to the sight of a trio of stacked up trucks.

"Who did this to my truck?" demanded Whitney none of them seeing Clark's back as he walked off.

* * *

><p>A while later as his father left the loft Clark clicked on the radio and glanced down into the telescope his sights set up at the distant stars.<p>

"Yo Clark you up there." Called Pete breaking him from his thoughts.

"Yeah come on up."

"Is everything okay?" questioned Chloe as the two climbed the stairs to find Clark moving away from the telescope.

"Yeah sit down." Said Clark motioning to the couch as he himself took the chair.

"You two are my best friends, Pete your practically my brother, so I wanted to tell you guys something, against my parents judgment. First though you both have to swear that no matter what you'll never repeat what I'm telling you, to anyone and you can't post it in the Torch Chloe."

At this the two shared a look. Immediately Pete agreed as it wasn't often that Clark let anyone in on the secrets he kept. Chloe however struggled with it briefly as her natural reporters instinct was against such a bargain but she too agreed after a few moments

"A couple of days ago I found out something's about my past. Specifically I learned who my parents were." Said Clark.

"Clark that's amazing congratulations." Said Chloe smiling happy for her friend.

"My parents died when I was a baby, and their last act was to send me here." Explained Clark causing Chloe to immediately go somber.

"So where were they from?" questioned Pete.

Clark didn't answer with words. Instead he looked pointedly at the telescope. Following his gaze both Pete and Chloe went wide eyed before Pete began to laugh.

"Alright good joke, but be serious." Said Pete after a moment.

Clark didn't respond instead merely looked at the two with the same serious expression that he had been wearing.

"No way, you're serious." Said Chloe.

"How, why?" questioned Chloe after a moment to absorb the information.

"I'm not sure honestly. In all honesty I just had a weird dream and confronted my parents about it when I woke up. Even then I didn't remember most of it, even a lot of the important stuff I forgot, I just remembered what I told you." Said Clark

"No offense Clark but your appearance doesn't exactly scream alien." Said Pete.

"I know, that's why I didn't know until now. I don't think that aliens are actually little green men with antennas though.

"So do you like have any powers?" questioned Chloe in excitement.

"Well aside from super strength, I'm pretty fast and apparently practically invulnerable though the last one just kicked in." Admitted Clark.

"So that's why your dad wouldn't ever let you do anything." Said Pete in realization.

"Wait a minute if that's true that means it was you that stacked up those trucks tonight." Said Chloe.

"They had it coming." Said Clark defending his actions.

"So the day of the meteor shower?" questioned Chloe.

"That's apparently the day I landed here." Said Clark.

"Alright then let's see this ship." Said Pete still not fully believing it.

As Clark stood and the three moved down from the loft none of them realized with his act of trust he would shift the path that their futures had laid before them.

AN: That's it the initial chapter is done. While i won't go episode after episode i will at least summerize what I skipped over. Thanks for reading and please review until next time LATER.


	2. Chapter 2

Smallville Redux

Chapter 2

AN: Hello all. So I'm not going to lie I forgot about this fic because I wasn't getting any reviews for it nor did I get any PM's asking about it. So this chapter has been sitting on my computer half done for quite a while and I just remembered about it today when I was going through my files. Anyway I've got nothing else to add for the moment so here's the next chapter.

Start Now:

The night was silent filled only with the sound of insects in action. It was peaceful as was expected within a town called Smallville and just about everyone was at rest. One person however was not hidden within the high branches of a tree. He sat crouched with a video camera in hand watching as Lana Lang entered her room just arriving from the Homecoming dance with her new tiara in hand. Closing the door behind her as she entered she moved over to a nearby dresser and deposited it within a drawer inhabited by several other tiara's and awards before closing it. As she stood from her bent over position and turned to face her bed she was surprised by the sight of a golden colored box sealed with a blue ribbon. Removing the ribbon and opening the box she was surprised yet still delighted as a group of butterflies came flying out. Outside within the tree the figure who was no more than a teen boy smiled as he shut down his camera and began his climb down the tree. It wasn't long later that he was walking down the darkened road his only company being the plants and creaking insects before he reached his green Volkswagen Bug.

Arriving at his home the young man silently walked through the door and peaked around the corner of the living room. The light of the room revealing his face to be somewhat pasty his forehead littered red with pumps and he wore a pair of somewhat large oval shaped glasses. What had his attention was what was playing on the TV, this being a recording of Lana and Whitney both seemingly unaware that they're time was being spied upon and recorded.

"Is this what you do with your time now Greg?" The voice came from his mother who had somewhat short black hair and wore a pink blouse, grey pants and pearl earrings and holding a few more tapes in hand.

"Where did you get those?" questioned Greg as he entered the room fully.

"Where do you think? In that hole you call a room." Said the mother.

"You had no right to go in there." Said Greg.

"Boy you've got a lot of nerve talking to me about privacy. I am in the Garden Club with Lana's aunt. How am I going to face Nell knowing that my own son is going around videotaping her niece?" said the woman.

"Is that where you were tonight?" questioned the woman.

"No." lied the teen as he moved over towards the table grabbing the remote and turning off the TV.

"I was out collecting." Finished the teen.

"Two disgusting habits." Said the woman with a frown.

"Insects aren't disgusting Mom." Said the teen causing her to approach him.

"Look what has become of you Greg. This isn't you." Said the mother waving the tapes for emphasis.

"People change." Claimed Greg.

"Really? Monday morning I'm phoning Claremont Military Academy." Claimed the mother.

"Yeah, right." Said the teen dismissively.

"No, Greg. I've had it with your behavior; this time I'm making the call." Informed the mother shocking the teen briefly.

"Hey, who's going to take care of my bugs?!" questioned the teen to his retreating mother.

Getting no answer he himself headed up to his room which was littered with tanks holding bugs. Hitting the lights on one particular case revealed several butterflies within it that flew around the cramped space for a few moments before settling down. Reaching into his backpack he withdrew a new jar containing fireflies which oddly enough held a green glow to them. Not long later he was once again on the road with his car loaded up with bugs that he was in the process of transporting elsewhere. A deep pothole had him swerving across the road causing the jars to fall and shatter releasing the bugs which quickly began to swarm him.

* * *

><p><em>He flew over the fields of Smallville taking in the vision that they held to offer in the parts of the town that had not been converted for human convenience. Eventually he found himself flying through an opened window before he began to hover over the form of a sleeping Lana her blankets covering all but her upper torso which was covered by a sleeveless white night shirt. Smiling to himself at her rather peaceful expression he was surprised when her eyes suddenly opened and zeroed in on him.<em>

_"It's all your fault Clark." Said Lana causing his expression to instantly change._

_In the next instant her eyes had closed once more and he could hear another voice calling his name. His eyes and mouth opened wide in surprise and as he awakened in the real world he found himself falling face first into his bed breaking the metal frame that supported it._

"Clark we're leaving for the farmer's market in 15 minutes and you haven't done your chores yet." Came his mother's voice from down the stairs.

Not even an hour later found Clark helping to set up a booth for his parents within the farmer's market. Chloe and Pete were also there helping out even with the major bombshell he had dropped on them the previous night. As he went about putting up a sign post with Pete he took a quick look around and seeing no one looking quickly pushed the nail in with his thumb, getting Pete to shake his head still in a bit of disbelief.

"All hail the homecoming king and queen." Said Chloe causing Clark to look up to see Lana and Whitney and for them to see their small group.

"Clark! I didn't see you at the dance last night." Said Lana

"Oh I was, a little tied up." Said Clark staring Whitney in the eye an action not missed by Lana.

"Hey, congratulations. That was one heck of a game. I haven't seen an offense that good since I played." Said Jonathan as he made his way over shaking Whitney's hand.

"Thank you Mr. Kent." Said Whitney

"I'm gonna get the rest of the boxes out of the truck." Said Clark dismissing himself from the equation

"I'll help." Said Whitney following after him.

"Kent." Called Whitney jogging to catch up with Clark.

"You realize last night was just a joke, right?" questioned Whitney as he caught up. Clark said nothing however and seeing this Whitney placed his hand on his shoulder causing him to stop and look down at the appendage.

"I need that necklace back." Said Whitney.

"I don't have it." Said Clark looking him dead in the eye.

"Look, it's Lana's favorite so…" started Whitney only to be cut off.

"So then you'd better go out to that cornfield and find it." Said Clark before walking off

Back within the market Lana was admiring a hanging glass butterfly when a figure appeared behind her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Said the figure causing her to turn quickly. The figure was none other than Greg Arkin, although he had changed quite a bit. Whereas before he had quite the nerdy appearance he was now clad in black shirt, pants, and opened leather jacket. His brown hair was swept back out of his face, the bumps had miraculously vanished and his glasses had been abandoned.

"Greg! Hey I didn't recognize you without your glasses." Said Lana

"You know the average butterfly only lives for eight hours." Said Greg reaching up to finger one causing Lana to duck down and take a step back.

"Live fast, die young. They're the rock stars of the insect world." Said Lana with a smile.

"Hey, Lana I was wondering if you could help me out with my Lit paper."

"The assignment giving you a brain freeze?" questioned Lana

"Yeah, it's kicking my ass." Said Greg.

"Sure, okay." Agreed the girl.

"Cool, how bout my house, after school?" questioned Greg.

"Library might be easier." Said Lana

"It's a date." Said Greg after a moment causing the girl to slowly nod.

"Lana, your aunt's looking for you." Said Whitney as he walked up from behind Greg causing her to nod and walk off. Once he was sure she was away Whitney placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in.

"Hey, bug boy, do me a favor and quit tailing my girlfriend." Said Whitney before beginning to walk off.

"You afraid of a little competition Whitney?" questioned Greg not even turning to face him causing the quarterback to stop mid walk and turn back

"Where not in a competition, Greg. But if I find out you've been leaving butterflies in my girlfriend's bedroom you'll know about it." Said Whitney before walking off.

"Yea, well just remember; sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug." Said Greg to himself quietly.

Elsewhere within the market a little later found Clark holding a barrel of apples and looking up just in time to see Lana and Whitney kissing before the quarterback drove off.

"Well can't knock your taste in women." Came a voice shocking Clark causing him to turn to see Lex standing beside him before reaching in the barrel to snag an apple.

"Gonna tell me what happened last night?" questioned Lex.

"A stupid prank." Said Clark placing the barrel into the bed of his father's truck making a bit of a show of him straining with it.

"You were tied to a stake in the middle of a field. Even the Roman's saved that for special occasions, you could've died out there." Said Lex.

"Look I appreciate your help; I just want to forget it ever happened." Said Clark not liking the memory in the slightest.

"Hey Clark what is the hold up, son." Said Jonathan as he placed his own burden within the truck's back.

"Mr. Kent, it's good to see you." Said Lex extending his hand which Jonathan shook.

"Come on son, we gotta finish up." Said the farmer before walking off.

"Okay dad." Said Clark

"At least I got a handshake this time." Said Lex causing Clark to shake his head before walking off.

"Clark, you sure you want to be getting all buddy-buddy with that guy?" questioned Pete quietly as he joined him at his side.

"Everyone deserves a chance Pete." Said Clark.

"Just remember the guy's a Luthor." Said Pete.

* * *

><p>A bit later found Whitney driving down the road back towards town. He flipped through radio stations idly until he finally managed to find one that he liked. Suddenly he looked up as he heard something land atop the roof of the truck. He went wide eyed as he watched the roof cave in as repeated hits struck it, the sounds of contact repeatedly echoing out. In the next instant the driver's side window shattered and he jumped pulling on the steering wheel and sending the truck tipping over to its side while the car itself slid for several more feet as fire began to break out. This was the scene that greeted the Kent's as they drove up and slid to a stop. Hopping out of the car Clark wasted no time in running over and ripping the windshield right out in order to pull out the quarterback. His actions were just in time as the flames reached gas and the entire truck exploded<p>

"Clark!"

"Clark!"

The calls of the Kent parents went unanswered as they hurriedly ran around the wreckage to find the teen crouched on the road. As he placed his hand on his son's back Jonathan recoiled as it was engulfed in heat. However this it seemed snapped the young teen back into reality as he looked up at his parents who could only breathe out relieved air as their muscles relaxed.

Back on the farm Clark held his wrist as he looked over his hand. Nothing was different with it, no scratch or even a light burn. In all honesty it still amazed him what his body was now capable of compared to what he knew others were capable of.

"Whitney's gonna be all right. He's got a couple of cuts and bruises, but nothing serious." Said Jonathan coming up from behind and breaking the teen from his thoughts.

"Does he remember anything?" questioned Clark.

"No. Just that something smashed his truck and he woke up in the ambulance." Answered the elder.

"You need to talk to mom, I think I really freaked her out this time." Said Clark after a moment.

"You also made her really proud, Clark." Retorted the father surprising the teen.

"Dad something else happened this morning. When I woke up, I was kind of floating." Said Clark

"Floating?" questioned Jonathan getting a hesitant nod from the son.

"As soon as I woke up I crashed. I don't even remember anything like this from the vision." Said Clark.

"Well then this is a new one for both of us."

* * *

><p>Lana smiled as she climbed down off of the horse she'd been riding and moved to lead him into the stables. Riding was her favorite pastime, something that let her escape from the rest of the world and just bask in the freedom of the world. Her rather tranquil expression however was quickly replaced by a startled one as a new voice made itself known.<p>

"Your form's good, but his gait's off. You might want to check his shoes." Turning to the voice she was greeted to a young man she'd never seen before.

"Lex Luthor, I'm a friend of your aunt's."

"Sneaking up like that, you're lucky you didn't get kicked." Said Lana walking past him and into the stables.

"You must be Lana. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Said Lex

"We've already met." Said Lana without even looking at him.

"I seriously doubt I'd forget meeting you." Said Lex.

"You were a little preoccupied at the time."

"I get the feeling I didn't make a great first impression." Said Lex.

"When I was 10 I went to Metropolis for a riding competition. Your father invited us to stay over, my aunt said you had an indoor pool. I went to check it out and found you and a girl skinny-dipping. I think you were teaching her the breast stroke." Stated Lana as she removed the riding harness from her horse taking it over and placing it down on a wooden beam.

* * *

><p>It had taken him a while but Clark had managed to break away from his parents both of whom had left to head back into town. He himself had taken the opportunity for what it was to get some other things done and as such had used his super-sped over to Miller's Field. It had taken him longer than he liked to come here but he had needed to wait just a bit so that he could learn to control his abilities. Though he didn't remember everything about his vision he remembered his powers, how they were initially triggered and how to actively control them. It had initially took a lot of concentration to actively trigger the various abilities but after a week of work he'd been able to summon them all at will. Now as he stood alone on the field his eyes scanned everything around him as he stood engaged in x-ray vision.<p>

It took him well over an hour to find what he was looking for but eventually he found it buried nearly twelve feet deep. Shovel in hand he made his way over and made quick work of digging into the place thanks to his super-speed. Finally after a few minutes of work he found what it was that he'd been looking for and picked it up. In his hand he held a dark grey octagonal disc with strange symbols decorating it. Dusting the dirt off of it he slipped it into his pocket and made quick work of refilling the hole and once that done he was gone in a blur.

Clark didn't return home for nearly another two hours having stopping by the mansion and played a few games of pool with Lex. While there they had talked about things that interested most young men sports and girls. Lex had also presented him with Lana's necklace which was held within a fancy looking led box that he'd stated had once belonged to St. George. It was as he finally returned home and entered his loft that he encountered a surprise finding Lana standing on the upper deck and looking out through his telescope. For a moment he just stood watching her as she was bent over slightly so that she could look out through the lens looking perfectly at ease in his domain. In the next instant he was looking upon another scene it was still Lana only she looked a bit older her head was thrown back as she straddled his lap as his mouth feasted on her neck. A pair of hot points stood out on his chest and it took him a moment to realize that she wasn't wearing a shirt or anything at all actually and her bare breast were pressed into his chest.

Almost as soon as the vision came it passed and a familiar sensation came over him that made him take several deep breaths in order to stop his heat vision from flaring. Looking down and away from her in order to calm himself he found he was still holding the chest with her necklace inside it. For a moment he thought about tucking it away but Lex's words from when he was presented it came back to him.

'_Hand it to Lana. Tell her what happened. Trust me, once she opens it, you'll win her heart. That necklace gives you the power. All you've got to do is use it._'

The words and the vision he'd just had fueled him and gave him a bit of courage to make his next move.

"Lana."

The sound of her name being called pulled the girl's focus away from the telescope as she was greeted to the sight of Clark making his way up the stairs pausing only briefly at the top to sit a case down atop the wooden railing of the staircase.

"Your mom said I could wait here. I hope you don't mind. This is an amazing place" Said Lana stepping away from the telescope slightly so that she was fully facing him.

"My dad built it, calls it my 'fortress of solitude.' Said the teen.

"I didn't know you were into astronomy." Said Lana moving back over to the telescope with a smile.

"It's a hobby." Said Clark with a shrug.

"You know you can see my house from here." Said Lana

"Really." Said Clark a bit of nervousness seeping into his voice as he reached over and turned the telescope away from that angle. As she looked up at him the small quirk at the corner of her lips to him that she was amused.

"You know we've lived a mile apart all our lives and you've never come over." Said the young man.

"And you're wondering what I'm doing here now." Finished Lana

"Not that I don't enjoy the company, but it's a surprise." Stated Clark

"I found out about what Whitney did to you, the whole scarecrow thing and I came to apologize." Said Lana.

"It's not your fault, just forget about it." Said Clark easily.

"I can't. He had no right to do that to you and you turn around and save his life." Said Lana.

"I appreciate you coming over but you're not the one who should be apologizing, besides I'll get him back soon enough." Said Clark.

"I didn't come to defend him. I came here to see you." Said Lana.

"Who told you?" questioned the teen

"Lex Luthor." The answer was so obvious that Clark could only smile as he looked away from her.

"Dropped some bread crumbs and I followed the trail. I'm glad he did, Clark. He was just being a good friend. You're lucky, it's rare." Said Lana

"Well Lex is definitely one of a kind. What are you going to do?" Said Clark causing Lana to smile before she sighed.

"I'm not sure. I thought I knew Whitney. Now I wonder what else I've been blind to in my life. He even lost my favorite necklace." Said Lana placing a hand up to her chest.

"Can't you get it replaced?" questioned the young man only for her to shake her head in the negative.

"This sounds kind of weird but it's made from a fragment of the meteor that killed my parents. Nell had it made, gave it to me the day that she officially adopted me. Told me that life is about change; sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's beautiful. But most of the time it's both." Said Lana before looking up at him.

"I'd better go." Said Lana moving to exit the loft before stopping at the top of the stairs and turning back.

"I'm glad you're ok Clark, but just out of curiosity, how do you plan on getting back at Whitney?" questioned Lana.

For a moment he debated on the answer to that question, whether he should go through with it or not. His mind dominated mostly by his dad's fears told him one thing, however his instinct told him to do the opposite, that this one act would go a long way to changing things. In the end instinct won out and he moved over to the box he'd set down when he entered.

"I have a skeleton key something to open the door for what I want most and also serve as a good form of payback." Stated Clark picking up the box and handing it to her taking several steps back as he did so.

"What's wrong?" questioned Lana seeing him take those cautious steps away.

"I suffer allergic reactions to what's in that box. Things like that make me incredibly weak and could kill me if exposed to it for too long. That box is made of led and it's currently shielding me from those affects. Go ahead open it." Said Clark.

Surprised at this admission Lana opened it being careful to keep the top up so that the led casing was still shielding Clark. What she found inside caused her to gasp as she beheld the small green stone attached that was her necklace. All at once everything that she knew about Clark came rushing back like how he would always fall over himself without fail whenever he'd gotten to close to her, yet now she realized that it was actually her necklace that was affecting him. On top of this she was also quite smart and was quickly able to come up with the meaning behind his answer to her earlier question. The necklace was a key and he'd just used it to unlock the door to her heart the only question that remained now was if she would let him in. The answer to that came quickly as she closed the box and overcome with emotion pulled him in for a hug. For several moments they simply stood there holding each other before finally she released him and took a step back.

"Good luck, Clark" The words came out of her mouth before she even realized it and surprised both of them. Still she smiled up at him sincerely before she turned and left the smile never leaving from her face. Neither of them knew it but she would never wear the necklace again.

Once he was sure Lana was gone he immediately headed into the house finding both of his parents in the kitchen with his dad in the process of making a sandwich. As she saw him enter the room Martha got worried seeing the serious look in her son's blue eyes.

"Clark what's wrong?" questioned the worried mother.

"It's time I made some sense of these visions." Said Clark.

"You had another one, what did you see?" questioned Martha only for Clark to blush and look away.

"How about we not talk about that one and say that we did." Said Jonathan getting a grateful look from his embarrassed son.

"So how do you plan on getting these answers?" questioned Jonathan easily changing the subject of inquiry.

"It's time to activate the ship now that I've got key." Said Clark pulling out the key and flipping it in the air like one would a coin before catching it.

"I guess there's just one more piece you need." Said Jonathan before leaving the room.

He returned shortly and in his hand he held within his hands a wrapped bundle. Inside was a rectangular shaped device which started off with a metal casing but ended in what looked to be crystals until it tapered to at the end.

"I was able to grab this from the ship before it closed. No idea what it does but I think now is a good time for you to have it."

Nodding his thanks the teen led the way as the small family of three moved out of the house and entered the storm cellar. Moving over to the ship he placed the key into the octagonal slot immediately the ship began to glow with a golden light before the wave shot outwards from it washing over all of them before the ship slowly opened. Seeing it open Clark placed the last piece he was holding into the only empty slot in the interior for a few moments nothing happened and then a scroll of characters began to flow across the ships interior, fortunately in this case Clark could not read it as with his upbringing he'd have freaked out if he knew what it said.

"**Kal-El fear not my son. I am Jor-El your father, or rather I am his memory, his will. I am to fulfill his purpose and guide you all the days of your life. You are the last son of Krypton**."

"If that is true then I need your guidance now. I have been having strange visions almost as if I'm having prophetic dreams but what I remember is fragmented. I need to make sense of them." Stated Clark

"**My effectiveness is not yet at 100% Kal-El, but I will do what I can to help, remain still**."

After the voice spoke a white light shot out of the ship and Clark soon found himself encased within it. Within the enclosure Clark saw everything playing out before his eyes once more, every success, failure and heartache. He saw new allies be made, friends turn to enemies and enemies become friends. The actions of nine years of trials and tribulations played out for him to see, yet he wasn't the only one for Jor-El connected to him as he was also saw what he did and as such shared in the experience. Everything even things that Clark hadn't been consciously aware of the two had witnessed. Finally the light died down and vanished altogether and Martha and Jonathan were quick to rush to his side.

"Was that all real?" questioned Clark.

"**Yes. It seems while on the brink of death you were somehow able to use the Book of Rao to send your memories back to your past self. The transfer had not been purposeful however and that is why the memories you received seemed fragmented. We will use this to our advantage however Kal-El and change things for the better**." Stated the voice

"But changing the past has consequences, you said it yourself." Said Clark.

"**Indeed. However you did not physically travel to the past. Instead your older self's memories transferred to your current self and as such it is not tampering with the past. No lives must be exchanged for that of Jonathan Kent's**."

"What are you talking about I died, how?" questioned Jonathan.

"**You died of a heart attack. Such a thing will not happen this time however. Kal-El it seems that in my zeal to prepare you for the future ahead of you I have made several errors in judgment as I did not take into account your human upbringing. While my choice of parents for you was successful your experience growing up here has given you several negative character flaws which I had not anticipated**." Stated the AI

"Wait we were chosen to raise him? Why us?" questioned Martha.

"**During my time traveling in my journey to manhood like all those of the House of El, I came to visit Earth. Here I met a man by the name of Hiram Kent who helped me, a stranger without asking of anything in return. During my short time with him I found him to be a man of great character, and when it was determined that my wife and I would not survive our planet's destruction I made the decision to send Kal-El to be raised by people that would give him those same characteristics. For that you have my thanks, the both of you. However I must now ask you both to take a step back it is time that Kal-El begin his own trials. Feel free to offer whatever guidance you feel you must but it is time that he lives his life.**"

At the words there was a part of Jonathan that wanted to deny such a thing. However he did not as a man he knew that Clark would have to live and make his own decisions and be responsible for the outcome of those decisions that was something all men must do. His son was special however and he knew that one day his choices would affect the entire world and he could not shield him from such a thing.

"**Kal-El I will not try to remove you from your life. However we must begin your training if you are to avoid your fate, your destiny is too great and we must take advantage of this chance to change things for the better**."

"I understand. I know you never meant for me to conquer this world you sent me here to protect it." Stated Clark

"**Indeed however before we can begin your training in earnest there are several task you must accomplish. First and foremost you must stop the one called Greg Arkin at the moment he should not be that far gone. Afterwards you must ensure that the caves stay out of Luthor hands. However before that I would advise seeking out Carter Hall, if you move quickly you may be able to save his wife**."

"What about the stones?" questioned Clark

"**We will wait to retrieve the stones until this summer. You will be busy with your training and school activities until then after all if you were to get to the time capsule you could retrieve Dax-Ur's shield.**"

"Which would give me access to Blue Kryptonite." Stated Clark in realization.

"**You must complete your tasks Kal-El. The sooner we have access to the caves the sooner I can have Kara released**" With those last words the glowing of the ship died down before it stopped completely.

With their audience over Clark removed the key from the slot and slid it back inside of his pocket. He knew his parents had questions but they would have to wait since he was on a bit of a time schedule. He didn't know how Jor-El did it but he suddenly knew everything with clarity even the small misadventure with Greg Arkin. He knew he'd already tried and failed to kill Whitney and his mother would be dead by that night if he didn't move fast. With that thought he told his parents he'd talk with them after he took care of Greg and was gone in a blur.

* * *

><p>Clark arrived at Greg's house to find that he wasn't home thought thankfully his mother was still alive. Instead of going inside he opted to wait outside which thankfully didn't take long as it only took about ten minutes for Greg to arrive.<p>

"What are you doing here Clark?" questioned the other teen.

"Come take a walk with me, we need to talk."

For several minutes they were silent as they walked until they came upon the sight of the old treehouse that they used to hang out at as kids. Greg's dad had built it before his parents divorced and the two of them along with Pete could always be found there.

"You know you nearly killed Whitney today." Stated Clark surprising the other boy.

"I don't know what you're talking about Clark." Stated Greg.

"Listen Greg we don't have time for games. I know you were bitten by a swarm of insects and you've developed some new abilities. The reason I'm here is two-fold, to make sure your mind is still stable and to make sure you get some help." Stated Clark seriously shocking the other teen.

"Why would my mind be unstable, because I finally got some confidence in myself, finally set out to get what I want out of life?" questioned Greg with narrowed eyes.

"The bugs that bit you were infected by the meteor rocks. Over the years several people have been affected by the rocks and they all have one thing in common. Their minds become unstable and they begin to act violently hurting anyone they come across indiscriminately simply focused on what they want. I'm not opposed to people having confidence in themselves or even having gifts. However what I am opposed to is hurting others for minor reasons. As for why I think you need help you more than anyone know how short an insects life span is, think of what you've been doing lately and where your thoughts have been and tell me what you see happening."

These words actually forced Greg to a pause and he actually began to think about his actions recently. He noticed he had been thinking more like an insect lately but he hadn't paid that any mind but he knew what he had planned for Lana, and the next step after that was death. Eyes widening in disbelief he faced Clark with shock apparent in his eyes.

"There's a place called Star Labs in Central City I've been looking into the place recently and everything is on the level there. If there's any place you can get help it's there." Stated Clark

"So I just need to scrape up some funds for a trip to Missouri and hope I don't kill anyone on the way." Stated Greg with a sigh.

"Don't worry about that. I'll get you there you just have to do what you need to do to get through everything." Said Clark

* * *

><p>Nearly a week later found Clark sitting back in the torch with Chloe. He'd had to wait until Greg explained to his mother what was going on with him and that he was going to try and get some help and it seemed learning her son could die soon was enough to get her to look over the fact that he'd gotten powers from a swarm of bugs. He had physically carried Greg Central City which was fine as it was the next state over and dropped him about a block from Star Labs. After that he'd run home for a quick bite to eat and then he was off again this time heading this time heading all the way to California for a quick stop in Starling City. He'd tried looking up Oliver while he was in Starling but he still hadn't got back yet which was odd since he'd bumped into Tess. From what he'd been able to gleam Oliver had been able to save her and her friend and get them off the island but he'd asked them not to tell anyone about his presence there. The closest reason he could think of this happening was the butterfly effect. Still he'd taken it upon himself to get to know Tess and they hit it off well but he'd had to tell her that he was only 14 though she still gave him her phone number stating that they could be friends.<p>

He had also been surprised to find that Oliver's mother was actually alive and he even had a younger sister which was also odd as he remembered Oliver telling him he was an only child. He had bumped into his sister who was named Thea who was fifteen and they had hit it off pretty well, she had also given him her phone number and asked that he keep in touch. Other than that he'd been running himself ragged trying to get everything he needed done. After dealing with that he'd gone to speak with Carter Hall arriving just in time to keep his wife Shayera from dying from a blow to the head that he had intercepted, though he hadn't been able to stop Carter from beating his wife's attacker into a coma. Following this he'd talked to the two of them and informed them that they should keep their skills sharp and that Checkmate was putting a hit squad together, he also told them he was thinking of putting his own team together down the line. He'd also wasted little time digging up the time capsule and using the beacon had managed to meet up with Dax-Ur who had supplied him with the Blue Kryptonite which the man had fashioned into a small shield that he could wear as a necklace with the Blue Kryptonite used to form the original House of El symbol which looked like the Earth symbol for 'infinity'. He'd also given Pete and Chloe their own only it didn't have the blue rock embedded.

"Damn Clark this is good, how did you get this information?" questioned Chloe as she turned away from the computer screen.

"I figured Smallville wasn't the only place he was conducting twisted business practices and I knew that someone had to have some dirt on him just needed to find the right people."

"How sure are you about this?" questioned Chloe.

"Completely and to top it off I may have sold it to the Daily Planet last night." Said Clark getting Chloe's jaw to drop.

"They actually bought your story!" exclaimed Chloe in shock.

"Our story, it officially reads by Clark Kent and Chloe Sullivan." Said Clark.

"I didn't even help you with this!" exclaimed Chloe.

"Yeah you did actually you did the leg work." Stated Clark motioning over to the Wall of Weird.

"Damn why didn't I think of this. You've just brought in a story with murder, corporate espionage, economic sabotage and human experimentation and all I've got is a piece on ineligible football players and a pyromaniac football coach." Said Chloe.

True enough Clark had managed to get just that. A visit to Dr. Swann had been all he had needed to get the evidence that the man had kept on Lionel Luthor and even better found the man had also had a hand in the disappearance of Robert and Oliver Queen. Along with that had been evidence of several other dealings that Lionel had been found to be engaged or tied to and Lionel had found himself arrested by the Metropolis PD with a laundry list of charges put to his name. He'd also had to once again deal with Coach Arnold only this time his dad allowed him to join and stay on the team.

This time however he'd been able to stop the crazy coach from burning down the Torch, and as a bonus they even won the game. Still the real bonus was having his sidekick by him this time through. Now that he didn't have to hide from her he found it nice and relaxing to be around her again.

"Good thing Pete listened and went for basketball then huh." Said Clark getting Chloe to laugh.

Pete had surprised both of them when he had taken Clark's advice and opted for the basketball team instead of the football team. He had not only made the team but he made Varsity which was big for a freshman and on top of that there was talk of him taking the starting point guard spot when the season started up.

"So how are things between you and Pete anyway?" asked Clark

"Well we decided it would be better if we just stayed friends." Stated Chloe.

"The both of you decided or you got spooked and decided things were better that way?" questioned Clark with a raised eyebrow.

"We both decided. The night was awkward the whole way through. He's the one that suggested we not even try dating." Revealed Chloe surprising Clark.

"So what are you plans for the rest of the day?" questioned Chloe after a few moments of silence.

"Well I have to run a few errands for my mom but otherwise I'm basically free." Stated Clark

"Well I was actually thinking about going to catch a movie but I don't want to go by myself." Stated Chloe.

"Alright get the times for the movie and we can set something up." Stated Clark getting a smile from Chloe before he left the room.

As he walked down the halls he stopped as he saw another girl walking down the hall. She wore blue jeans with a pink sweater with long brown hair that hung to her shoulders. As he saw her he almost smacked himself for forgetting about her and decided to walk over.

"Hey Tina, can I talk to you for a bit?" questioned Clark getting the girls attention.

"Sure Clark what's going on?" questioned the girl

"Not here walk with me for a bit." Stated Clark getting a slight blush from the girl as she followed after him.

Soon enough the two of them were sitting with the bleachers overlooking the football field. For a few moments both of them sat silently watching the cheerleaders practice while Clark tried his best to organize his thoughts. Finally he came up with something and speak.

"So just sold a story Chloe and I put together to the Daily Planet. Since we've known each other so long I decided to tell you myself." Started the teen.

"That's great Clark, you should be stoked." Said Tina.

"I am it's just the subject matter which has me worried. During our research we came along some startling finds. I won't bore you with everything I'll just get to the point that's most concerning. We did some research into the meteor shower and some of the effects it held on the town. In our research we found that the meteors themselves had some interesting effects on several people. Over time we found that many of those effected began displaying not just new abilities but their minds became unstable and they began to display more and more violent tendencies. When we were looking through some things at the hospital we found records that one of the doctors used the rocks radiation on you." Stated Clark.

"Wait are you telling me there could be something wrong with my brain!" exclaimed Tina in horror

"Unfortunately. Because of the effects of the rocks the FDA, EPA and several other agencies are looking into the situation. The doctor that did the work on you is currently under investigation. I thought you should know that way if something is wrong you'd be able to find out before it's too late." Informed Clark while Tina was holding her head in her hands.

"Why'd you guys decide to look into it?" questioned Tina quietly.

"One of my friends Greg was bitten by a swarm of infects that were infected by the rocks. His mind destabilized and without even realizing what he was doing he nearly killed some people and was on his own march to death. He's currently at Star Labs in Central City having some test run to help him.

"I know I should be mad that you guys went through my medical records, but thanks Clark. I-I need some time to think." Stated Tina before getting up and heading for home.

Due to the new information she received she would stay home the rest of the day talking with her mother and up the nearly the entire night with worry. The next day she was on the first train heading to Central City and as such Star Labs with her mom. The plan she had for robbing the bank forgotten.

* * *

><p>The following Monday the news was all over town as issues of the Daily Planet hit shops with Clark and Chloe's story on the first page. Until this point word of the meteor infected had been an Urban Legend something everyone heard about but had put no stock in. By eleven o'clock it had become national news thanks to the arrest of Lionel Luther who was arrested on charges ranging from murder to economic sabotage. Luckily Clark had told Lex before anything had happened and the bald man had been able to call a meeting with the board of directors in which they had ousted Lionel according to the news.<p>

"Clark, you sly son of a bitch." Came a call that cut through the hallway surprising him as he turned to see Pete running up to him.

"Sup Pete." Said Clark seeing the smirk on his friends face.

"You killed the Luther demon!" exclaimed Pete

"I see someone's excited." Stated Chloe from her position beside Clark.

Pete responded to those words by proving it picking her up in a hug and spinning her around getting the blonde to bust out into giggles.

"Do you guys even realize what you've done?" questioned Pete as he sat Chloe down getting confused looks from more then a few people.

"Guys the FDA and the EPA have to come to Smallville and run some investigations. Because of this no one will be able to farm but on the plus side because it's an environmental issue the government has to pay our families because we can't work. The last time something like this happened the farmers all received checks that were worth at least ten thousand dollars from the government tax free." Stated Pete shocking everyone in the hall who heard him.

However Clark grimaced an action that didn't go unnoticed by his two friends and quickly led them into the Torch and shut the door being sure no one was around before speaking.

"Pete are you sure, they'll be coming to town?" questioned Clark.

"Of course they are Clark. We grow food here, cattle, fruits, vegetables and all of that good stuff. Anything that can affect the farmland the government takes incredibly seriously." Stated Chloe

"Fuck I didn't think of that." Stated Clark bringing his hand up to message his temple.

"What's wrong?" questioned Chloe.

"My cousin Kara is currently asleep in her ship in the lake in front of Reeves Dam. There's too much Kryptonite in that water for me to go in and get her and the ship out." Stated Clark.

"Okay Clark there's a way to get her out but you may not like it." Stated Pete.

"I don't really have much choice at this point." Stated Clark.

"Well we could borrow a crane from and if we do it at night we can get her up and out of there before anyone can find her." Stated Pete.

Pete was right, Clark decided he didn't like it. He had always had a thing against stealing but on this occasion as he said he didn't really have a choice so he was going to have to set aside his own personal moral on that for the time being.

"Alright Pete I'll meet you there tonight let's say 10:30. I've got a few things I need to handle before then.

* * *

><p>After school was over Clark had wasted no time leaving and headed home to retrieve the key from his loft. Once he had that he disappeared in a blur, after only a few minutes he found himself standing within the Kawatche caves. Moving over to the wall he placed the key in the slot designed to hold it.<p>

"**Kal-el judging from your presence here I assume you are ready to commence your training**." Came the voice of Jor-el.

"Not yet. We have a problem, in order to rid myself of Lionel Luther before he became a problem I exposed him for several crimes including economic sabotage. However it seems the government will be moving teams here to investigate everything. I need to move Kara's ship before it can be discovered." Explained Clark.

"**I see. As you are not ready to retrieve the stones we should be able to store both her ship and your own within the alter room until such time as the Fortress can be built**." Stated Jor-el.

* * *

><p>Later that night found Pete, Clark and Chloe all standing before the lake in front of Reeves Dam. Clark had managed to retrieve a truck-crane from a nearby construction site since no one was there at the moment and would be operating it the pull up Kara's ship. Pete would be the one diving into the water to hook the cable onto the ship so they could pull it out and Chloe would be playing lookout. At the moment Clark stood between the two of them using his x-ray vision to scan the entirety of the lake, after several minutes of this he finally cut off the ability and closed his eyes still not used to using the ability.<p>

"Alright the ship is in the upper right section of the lake." Stated Clark.

"Alright I'll be back in a minute."

With that said Pete leapt into the lake grabbing the hook from the already lowered crane. Using an underwater flashlight he'd gotten the previous Christmas and some goggles he was able to quickly locate the ship once he reached the appropriate section. Pushing himself up he broke the water in order to take a deep breath before diving back down and securing the hook under the front portion where a circular latch was. Once it was secure he made quick work of going back to the surface and climbing out of the water where Clark tossed him a towel. Going into the truck Clark made quick work of lifting the ship out of the water and setting it down on the ground.

"You guys may want to back up, Kara can be aggressive when she first wakes up." Stated Clark as he stepped out of the truck and walked up to the ship.

Pulling the key out from his left pocket he held it up and was grateful when the top of the ship parted and opened. For several moments things were still until almost immediately a from shot out of the ship and landed in front of him. Looking her over Clark couldn't help but smile though she appeared a bit younger than the visions suggested she was. She appeared to be sixteen and wore a white dress that would look quite natural in any ancient greek setting. While there was a tied strap above her right shoulder the left was almost bare except for a small silver strap, the dress itself flowed down but stopped well above her knees yet was covered by the sheer white fabric that could be seen trailing behind her to just past her knees.

"Who are you." Demanded the blond her blue eyes narrowed.

"I'm Kal-el, son of Jor-el." Stated Clark.

"Impossible, Kal-el is a cute little baby who giggles whenever you touch his feet." Stated Kara.

"You've been asleep a long time Kara." Stated Clark holding out his right hand palm up to show a small shield on top of his palm.

Approaching cautiously Kara took it from him recognizing it instantly as a memory pendant. Activating it she was silent for several minutes as she watched the memories in the device before it stopped.

"I see. Considering where my ship landed I suppose it is no surprise I would remain asleep for so long. It appears we have much to discuss Kal-el. I will take my ship to the cave and I will meet you at the Kent farm." Stated Kara before turning back to her ship.

Once she neared it she placed a hand on it and watched as it collapsed in on itself until it formed a cube. Picking it up she stunned both Pete and Chloe as she lifted into the air and disappeared in a blur.

By the time Clark had made it back to the farm Kara was already there sitting on the couch and talking with his parents.

"Ah Kal-el I was wondering when you would make it back." Stated Kara as she stood on her feet.

"How'd you know how to get here?" questioned Clark.

"What did you think I would let you come here without screening the people that would be in charge of your care?" questioned Kara surprising all three of them.

"What do you mean screening?" questioned Martha.

"Well while Jor-el was quite brilliant he always thought he was the smartest person in the room, a curse that frequently appeared in the men of the House of El. While he judged you worthy on the merits of Hiram Kent, my aunt Lara and I both thought it would be a good idea to judge you on your own merits. So we came down to see how Kal-el would live and how you were as people, obviously you passed our test, though I admit I was confused and reluctant to have Kal-el grow up on a farm it seemed to have been a good thing for him." explained Kara.

"While this is interesting information, it is late and we can discuss this more tomorrow. For the time being Kara you can take Clark's room, Clark you'll be on the couch until we can build another room on the house." Stated Jonathan.

Clark sighed but didn't arguing already having a feeling that would happen. Still as he settled in for the night he found he was content and wondered just what else he could do at this point and moving forward.

AN: Well that's it chapters over. Hopefully the next update won't take as long, till next time LATER


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